‘Supernatural’ Season 7 Finale Review & Discussion

Attempting to make sense of this past season of Supernaturalis no easy task – one that the season 7 finale unfortunately fails to achieve.

With a string of episodic storylines that transformed the series’ typically narrative storytelling into a poor copy of television’s overused procedurals, the glimmer of hope that briefly showed itself in this season’s penultimate episode was all but lost to the disjointed, awkward presentation of the Supernatural season 7 finale.

Bringing together all available (read: not dead) fan-favorite characters to help ground many of this season’s awkward elemental inclusions, there is a strong sense that the producers are attempting to not only acknowledge the downfall of this past season, but that they are also trying to make the unfortunate position the series finds itself in as enjoyable as possible for longtime fans.

Succeeding to some degree (it’s better than nothing), the somewhat forced repetition of Crowley, Castiel, Bobby (maid-Bobby), Meg and Dick Roman throughout the finale provides an artificial sense that the presented season storyline is more grand in scale than what it actually is.

Presenting intriguing story elements, such as Bobby’s description of becoming a vengeful spirit and the finer points of demon contractual negotiations, these supplemental scenes would typically be a welcomed inclusion to the series mythos. Unfortunately, with what feels to be too-few episodes actually progressing the overall series storyline, the demand for actual linear storytelling, combined with the lack of actual time to provide a competent conclusion to the Leviathans conquest, results in one continuously checking to see how much time is left in the episode.

When it comes to the actual Leviathan storyline, longtime fans are more prone to pretend this season never existed, rather than trying to make sense of what’s presented. While generally shying away from attaching personal feelings towards implemented story-arcs reflecting societal issues, it’s impossible not to think about Supernatural season 7 without feeling like we were witnessing a parable on the dangers of high fructose corn syrup.

Perhaps even more unfortunate is the fact that one can completely make that connection without having any specific feelings towards the matter, one way or the other. When dialogue such as “Dick’s got creamer in the lab; he’s going to kill all the thin people” is used in any type of earnest statement, the ability to even take this season as a poor parody is quickly topped by an unfortunate feeling about the direction this series has taken.

While there’s nothing inherently wrong with providing some explanation of how a species of monsters would feed off the human race, the decision to include such a dense corporate environment as the center of storytelling removes almost every strength the series has going for it. Known for championing fantastical tales of the preternatural, one should never have to wonder when a series titled Supernatural is going to actually delve into something tangible relating to the subject the series is named for.

Making attempts to satisfy fan requests for some definitive conclusion to Bobby’s story-arc, the melting of the flask proved to be one of the more enjoyable moments in the finale. While not as emotionally profound as Bobby’s original death, it was still strong enough to make viewers momentarily forget the unfortunate place the series finds itself in as it ends another season.

Though like a perfect reminder that this isn’t the Supernatural we once knew, the emotional scene is cut short by an awkward off-camera exit for Bobby. Having “dusted” many a ghosts in series past, the visual of seeing Bobby fall to the same fate that so many spirits before him have would have certainly been the emotional punch that the audience hopes to feel when a beloved character is gone. Of course, with Bobby referring to seeing Sam and Dean again, though not too soon, we could say that perhaps the producers where not only trying to cut back on their effects budget, while also providing some sort of loophole for him to perhaps return in the future.

Hoping to find some semblance of a potential story that will help drive Supernatural season 8, fans were met with a familiar scenario that feels like it will be resolved as quickly (and perhaps as poorly) as the mere moments it took to end the Leviathan strength of Dick Roman.

With Dean stuck in purgatory and Sam left to his own devices, there’s a certain level of intrigue relating to what exactly may occur when Supernatural returns next season. That being said, no potential storyline for what fans may look forward to was ever presented – and following the challenges that Supernatural faced during season 7, a division in The Winchester brother’s locale is hardly the hook the series needs at this point.

In many ways, the Supernatural season 7 finale was a noticeable attempt at providing some logic to the nonsense presented over the course of this past year. Though not at all succeeding to the level anyone had hoped, Supernatural (as a series) has had a generally positive track record in its seven year history.

For longtime fans of the series, there may be just enough good will to carry intrigue over into next season. Unfortunately, when it comes to Supernatural season 8, the series will be making the move to Wednesday nights. So while fans of the series may be forgiving enough of its faults to survive Friday night, when the series makes its move next season, there’s going to be more potential viewers who, unfortunately, may not be as much so.

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Ikainica 2 years ago

btw not a lot of people mention this but the rock music is missing in almost all the episodes. I noticed, I am an editor.

yes I noticed! It totally set the tone for the series previously. When that car came bursting out it was like the season was just starting for the first time and I had been watching something else all season. I was waiting for a great song to cap the moment. Maybe the budget really IS tighter these days. I’m not asking them to dole out for a led zep track, but they could slip something else into the mix and not break the bank surely!

I totally agree about the music, what happened?? I went back to re-visit the other seasons and the music and soundtrack throughout is fantastic. I’ve never liked heavy rock, but with the music and Supernatural combined, I’ve definitely increased my musical library. It was disappointing to find such a lack of music to match the moments in Season 7.

I have something to share with you guys, in celebration of the season finale, I looked for and found these videos, one is actually a recap of the Season 5 finale with a new version of wayward son playing in the background and the other is Season 1-6 season finales all put into one video! Hopefully someone adds the Season 7 finale to this video and we can have a complete set!

Ive seen a lot of complaints about the show since season 5 ended. And yes I agree that it should have ended. But it didn’t. So the best I can hope for is an improved show. Thats gonna need a bigger storyline like the lucifer plot. In the final season, whenever that is, the writers need to just go all out with everything. The only way to end this magnificent show is to end it with a bang. Starting with the monsters. Since it began the shows monsters have been strangely humanoid. Strange and scary at first but now it’s getting old. Enough with with possession and monsters that look like regular people or can turn invisible like the hell hounds. Time to make an actual scalely twenty foot tall beast that’s like nothing we’ve ever seen. The Show has been going on for so long that I’m sure they have the budget for the graphics. With dean in purgatory now, they have the perfect chance to show us something different and giant. Or at least not in any way resembling a human. Impress me supernatural

I always loved the monster-of-the-week type of story a la the 1st season, but I think they did it good by tying up the main storyline with the monster-of-the-week episodes this season. Sure some of it feels forced or downright ridiculous, but it was a fun ride. Anyhow, Dean’s been to hell and now he’s in purgatory, so next season we can expect Sam’s frantic endeavor in trying to save Dean, and Dean trying to escape purgatory. So, not many stand alone episodes next season, I presume. And yeah, please bring the classic rock back next season. Nowadays, I can’t listen to Carry On My Wayward Son by Kansas without being reminded of Sam, Dean, and the Impala.

I usually don’t like a cliffhanger season finale (I hate waiting 5 months for the start of next season), but this time it actually works for me.
There are some issues with each character I didn’t like this season:

Dean: Not as funny as previous seasons, also not as tough. The best Dean was from season 4 when he came back from hell tortured and he just didn’t want to talk about it, but you could see he was broken.

Sam: I’m used to Sam being the smart guy, knowing what to do with each new monster, or finding it out through research and actually being helpful. This season? Bobby had to come back because Sam just couldn’t do anything even after he got his “Lucifer” problem fixed.

Bobby: Is he gone? Please let him be gone.. When they decided to kill him off, either have him back some way (how many times have Sam & Dean died and came back?) or let him be gone. I grew tired of the “ghost-Bobby” storyline since the first episode.

Castiel: I actually liked the whole “broken” angel storyline. It was fun and it kept the ‘angelic assistance for every little problem’ at bay. Although they did have Castiel help in the end (which actually pissed me off). Supernatural writers have to run with the decisions they make either good or bad.

Crowley: The only one consistent through this whole below-average season. I enjoyed every second he was on screen.

Meg: I really liked Meg, I really-really did, or should I say until last season. She was such a bad-ass. Also she was kinda hot (what the hell happened to her face?). This time around? Babysitting an angel? Helping all the time, without an alterier motive? The biggest disappointment of the season.

I didn’t hate season 7, let’s say that it was a ‘filler’ season and move on.

For season 8: I would really like to see Dean turned into a true badass.
Kinda like Oliver Queen getting stuck on that island and becoming Green Arrow. I really hope season 8 does not start with Dean out of purgatory. It would be such a waste, there are a lot of things they could do in there.

BUT, if he is out: Bring back the Impala, bring back the music, bring back a hot girl from time to time. I mean Dean had to be with at least one girl each episode in the first few seasons, how does he manage now?

Rachel Miner (Meg) is (was) on steroid based medication for a back injury i believe, thus the bloating. She was apparently in very bad pain during season 6, so props to her for soldiering through it all.

The writers and both Jared and Jensen have come out to say that the show will begin with Dean out of Purgatory supposedly. And the way they will bring about the story arc is through flashbacks of what both Sam and Dean were doing during that time.

I think that should be a good story plot but I hope something grand comes out of this season because I have to agree with you. I love Supernatural but this last season just was not quite the best.

If I hear carry on 1 more time I will lose my sh$t. Loved the Meg comments, seriously she looks way different and had always talked funny. Bummed the leviathans were killed soo easily. Didn’t mind Dean being more than 1 dimension, I would agree that Sam was boring. I miss soulless Sam, he’s got a hot meat suit and bad Sam is soo much fun to watch. Yeah, I’m a chick.

Must say s7 ending was a cliff-hanger but I did feel it lacked a certain something – maybe it’s just cos I was tooo excited to watch it!
Can’t believe we have to wait so long for the next season (although I’m superglad it was renewed). I was a bit bored with the leviathans – they could have donemore with that – so I’m glad they’re basically out; I wish they’d gone further with the whole Eve, Mother of all evil story. She would have kicked ass! Maybe they’ll bring her back (nobody’s ever really dead in Supernatural, are they?). I hope they do more cool monster of the week episdoes for fun otherwise a long dark story arc gets a wee bit boring; and Meg should definitely re-appear as a regular (@ demoie:Rachel Miner, the actress playing Meg, apparently was really ill & was on medication which caused her face to swell up) . It would also be nice if some of the wry humour from earlier episodes returned.

I suspect season 8 may just be the last one, sadly, so they better end it off cool – like Sam & Dean laughing together, driving off into the sunset with Wayward Son playing, off to do what they do best: fight evil & be brothers. Leave you thinking all could be well with them.

I thought this season final should have been a conclusion to what has gone before rather than another cliffhanger ending.
Not to cancel the show but just to start afresh. I agree this season had some bum epi and I think they know it.
Gamble has gone from the show so that can only be a good thing…the car is back…the music is back…and hopefully the boys are back on track…whats not to like or get excited about.
…and stop talking about season 8 being the final season….jeeze…

“That being said, no potential storyline for what fans may look forward to was ever presented”

Just thought i would mention the “See you next season – Looking forward to it” between Dean and the Alpha Vampire.. If that isn’t a virtually meta nod towards season 8 i don’t know what is..

Also like some have already noted, the return of the rock in the beginning (Kansas again, a classic) really brought back the old feel of the show, even if it didn’t really live up to some of the old episodes, i did like it.

So Sam and Dean stopped the Leviathan, but that doesn’t mean they stopped the corporate monster…Humans are still lobotomized by the chemicals Dick Roman released out in the world. So Sam will have to issue one helluva recall to get everything back off the shelves. I’m hoping Crowley uses that stuff to his advantage. As for Dean, purgatory is the perfect place for him to hone his hunting skills (and won’t the Leviathan be there?…hope he brought some borax). Keep Cas broken…I like him as nut-ball talking about flowers and honey, and it’s nice for Sam and Dean to have to solve their problems without Angel interference. I hope Bobby only returns in flashbacks or time travel episodes…I’d also accept him being in purgatory with Dean.

This wasn’t the best season, but I actually liked it better than season 6 which was the worst season in my opinion. It was nice to end the Bobby as a ghost story and let Castiel help clean up his mess, but I’m hoping they don’t carry the story so much next season…a cameo here and there, and that’s it. I was so happy to see the Impala return…I missed that car more than Bobby and Castiel combined. I’m excited to see what happens next season. Good riddens Sera Gamble!

I thought that this season had a lot of good individual episodes and the ideas that they had were very fresh and interesting. The problem was the execution and delivery. The Leviathan were a GREAT idea but were totally downplayed and by the end of it all, it seemed that they were rushing to close out the story arc for next season, much like they did with Bobby.
The ghost of Bobby was a pretty decent idea, and if they were going to bring him back they should have used him more than just for a few episodes. Also, his death was very melodramatic and I would have rather the writers not brought him back at all if they just going to off him that quickly.

With the Leviathan, I would have taken this story into next season. I mean Leviathan can kill Demons and Angels, they could have just brought all three opposing forces (humans, angels, demons) together to destroy them next season, after which the fight for earth would have been taken up between demons and humans with the remaining Angels hanging somewhere in the middle….that sounds much better to me

Anyway, this season imo was a step up from last season’s but def below par of the show. next season does have a lot of promise, esp now that Sarah gamble is not the showrunner. The whole Dean and Castiel in Purgatory ting is pretty cool and now with the Angels gone it might be full reign on by the demons….1 thing for me, leave the big bad as the demons, we dont need another group of monsters unless the Leviathan are still around….u know the end of it all will have to do with the demons so just wrap this story up and end the show well.

Id rate this season as follows:
1- Season 4/5 (these two seasons are flawless)
2- Season 4/5
3- Season 3
4- Season 2
5- Season 1/7 (these two seasons are interchangeable for me)
6- Season 1/7
7- Season 6

Enough with the slamming of the plot. Supernatural was written to end after the Lucifer story. I give the writers props for putting together the last two seasons on the whims of the network. Of course the plot is not as amazing as the first five seasons but they managed to deliver something I find genuinely entertaining. I’m really excited to see more of purgatory. I really look forward to the next season and how purgatory will play out.

I was thinking for a while how things could get back to the scale of the overall large arch from season 1-5 and the world ending etc. I realise the situation with the leviathans was dire but something just didn’t seem as epic as before. I think it was because of the familiarity and lore people know about demons and angels. I think something that could be done is that cas is able to travel between purgatory and earth and heaven etc easily enough, however he can’t take Dean with him for whatever biblical reason of which I’m not sure of right now.

Cas and Sam (with the help of Meg after he helps her escape from Crowley with a summoning spell or something) could then use a spell that if activated from both sides can open the portal to purgatory. Dean can use this to escape while Cas fight the monsters trying to get out for the most part successfully, a few monsters here and there are able to get out, but nothing too much, just adding to the crap going on on earth at the moment, (which I’ll get back to in a sec.) However, Cas is unable to stop 3 dark figures that approach him which are unseen at the minute.

Meanwhile continually going on on Earth. Crowley is trying to twist as many souls as possible to bring to Hell to add to his power. Similar to the situation at the end of season 6. He is also looking for Meg who is currently in the process of/ just finished helping Sam release Dean from purgs.

Meg on and off helps Cas, Dean and Sam, but the odds are very much stacked against them due to the shear number of Demons. Crowley has also resurected/ granted power to demons from the souls making very powerful ones that Cas has trouble dealing with. However all this demon killing is pushing sam into the presence of demon blood which eventually overtakes him and he starts to drink demon blood again. His powers gradually returning after such a long absence.

Meg appears infront of the 3 characters from purgatory that were previously unknown. They reveal themselves to be the 3 horsemen killed. As they are not humans they were sent to purgatory. She uses them to discover the location of the rings claiming that she wants to return them as long as they take care of crowley and some demons she knows would mess with her. She claims to them she wants to be Queens of hell. However she is secretly reporting to Sam, Dean and Cas claiming that using the rings owuld give them a power boost (I’m going off the fact that the wiki says the rings grant powers to humans.) to deal with the ongoing problem with demons and the monsters that were released from purgatory. The 4 horsemen help them retrieve the rings, then it turns out the location they meet at was a trap for the horsemen (they are easier to trap due to the lack of rings). The rings are retrieved by the brothers, Cas and Meg. They promise the rings will be returned to horsemen eventually and Death makes comments about how he doesn’t like Dean as much as he did in Chicago any more, which wasn’t much in the first place. Cas is extremely apologetic about the deception and Meg gives em a wee wink as they walk off, while Sam is his usual quiet self.

They return to their hideout and decide to get sleep before going on the offensive tomorrow. Cas says he will see them tomorrow and returns to heaven to meet up with straggler angels left behind. When the brothers wake they realise the rings and Meg are gone…..

Thanks, Rick. I’m glad you liked reading it. I wrote this bit in more detail. There may be some points some people might not like in this… but I hope you enjoy reading.

The final scene of the episode is when Meg is standing at the place at the end of season 5 with the rings in formation for opening the cage and she throws them down as the ground starts to split the screen turns black. This is the point where the season would end. It may not seem like there is much happening in this season. But I didn’t want to waste time writing it if no one was interested.

The opening of the next series would be Dean and Sam freaking out and Cas defending Meg saying she is probably getting some revenge on particular demons with the extra power although mid explanation he disappears.

Meg is shown kneeling before a bright light saying it is good to see him again and she looks forward to clearing the Crowley regime.

Dean and Sam freak out currently as they can’t get in touch with Cas and they realise that the only thing they can do at the minute is clear as many demons as possible while Sam consistently deals with his problem but has a relatively good hand on it, and is hiding it well. They go about their business, however one night when Sam is sleeping, Lucifer appears to him saying that fighting was at a minimum in the cage between himself and Michael when Sam was gone and that he cannot wait to take control of him again. It will be the perfect vessel for his larger plans than the apocalypse. Sam informs Dean of what has happened and they try to get in contact with Cas about what they heard. Cas hears them and returns feeling extremely sad. They sympathise with him about all their hard work gone from season 5, however Cas reveals he is Sad Meg has betrayed him.

The brothers in shock push Cas for information about what has happened. He reveals he has learned Michael is back in heaven and Angels have returned. Raphael has also been resurrected by Michael because of love of God and the fact that it was Raphael rightful place to rule with the circumstances when Michael was in the pit. He assumes Raphael has informed Michael about Cas’s actions and is worried for his life. Cas states that Michael is looking forward to destroying Sam in every sense of the word due to his action regarding the cage, and also Raphael cannot wait to destroy them also.

During this exchange Crowley and a number of demons barge into the room and Crowley is irate. He states that their efforts to stop the demons on earth had been so minuscule he hadn’t bothered to stop them. But now he couldn’t stay in hell due to Lucifer being back, even though Crowley has become exponentially stronger, he isn’t strong enough to stop Lucifer, and it was their fault for trusting Meg who Crowley has a few words about. So Crowley states he is going to kill them. Cas steps forward to smite a demon which doesn’t work and in the end he knocks him away. Sam and Dean are held against the wall by a couple of demons however Sam uses his powers to nullify the demons hold but can do nothing much else and Crowley makes a comment about seeing the old less boring Sam. A powerful Demon knocks Cas back and the other demons bear down on the boys Crowley looks up then disappears as the other demons smoke out. Everybody looks at each other confused as Dean feels the side of his jacket and pulls something out.

The item is the dvd box Gabriel gave him in season 5 during hammer of the gods. Dean looks at it and says very funny and throws it carelessly onto the table. He goes to take a swig of his hipflask but realises he just pulled out the dvd case and it says “watch me jackass” as the title now. The bros look at each other interestedly and put it in. Gabriel appears in the same funny way he always does and states that now his big bros are back he decided to return to see the damage. Sam says, “but we saw him die” and the dvd says, “I bet you are saying, “but we saw him die”” in a mocking of Sam’s voice. He states the death was an illusion but it drained him so much that it decided to get away until things calmed down. He had sensed the archangels leaving earth and decided there was no point going back because they most likely destroyed everything. However curiosity got the best of him when he sensed them again. He also looks at Cas directly from the tv and says, “Get your head in the game baby bro!” snaps his fingers, and Cas falls asleep.

The bits I was referring to were the return of Raphael and Gabriel, but I thought it was strange to have them gone without fully utilising them. And moments with them involved were pretty epic imo.

In the episode where the asian kid was strucked by lightning after the word of god was destroyed… I am actually thinking that the one inside him is Michael and since Castiel was suddenly cured from Lucifer brain dump, I thought Lucifer had him as his vessel. It could have been fun but eventually, I’m wrong. >:)

Really, the only things that I really found enjoyable this season were the first few episodes, episodes written by Robbie Thompson, and the characters of Charlie, Kevin, and Meg (I honestly liked the character development she received. She looks so weary and tired). The characters of Sam and Dean, though I still love them, were pretty stagnant and acted REALLY out of character at times (SAM agreeing that killing Amy was the right thing to do?! Who are you and what did you do to Sam Winchester?!) . Cas was cool, but his reintroduction needed at least two parts, not one rushed episode. I don’t know everything else seemed pretty rushed…though I gotta say, I was interested in the interactions between Sheriff Mills and Bobby. Shame they butchered that too…

First, let me begin by saying I am a HUGE supernatural fan; that being said, I HATED this last season. What happened to my show? First of all, as many people have mentioned, the classic rock was gone, which was one of the many things I loved about the show. Also, what happened to the humor? One of my fav things about the show is that it could be dark and disturbing, but somewhere in the middle of all that, Dean would make a wise crack that could always make me laugh. I MISS THAT! Not to mention they killed off one of my fav characters; what are Sam and Dean going to do without Bobby watching their backs all the time. I was so happy when he came back as a ghost and said “BALLS!” They better find a way to bring him back. And what is with Cass being all loopy? Sure, its cool when he does something funny, but thats only because its so out of character for angel; if hes going to be like that all the time, it takes alot of the fun out it. Bring back hardcore Cass! And last, I just have to say I hated the Leviathan storyline, but at least stick to your guns and make the final with them a true finale; Dick was just killed off way to easily for such a powerful entity. I hope whoever was in charge of writing Season 7 was totally fired, and that they come back strong for Season 8. I DO NOT want to show to end; I think its probably one of the best shows on T.V nowadays, so please CW, do Sam and Dean justice this year.

God i’m a big fan of supernatural since the first season and man i got to say season 7 really surprised me it was nothing i expected it was the most boring of all the seasons but i will be enjoying season 8 i hope.

I dont understant why so many people are dissin supernatural it is most purerly and most definate the best t.v show i have ever seen i am completly glued to the t.v wen its on n always leaves me wounderin and exited on wats happnin next i just hope that they dont end it on season 8 as i would most definatly be sad to see this go
hopfully they have 1 or 2 more seasons up
ther sleeves of thee best ever tv show

it is the best show ever but… the last part of season 6 and most all of season 7 was bad… they made cass bad, they killed off bobby, rufus, balbasur, just to name a few… and the Leviathans story was just retarded.. I mean they had a few good episodes …….. Im so glad that season 8 is at least starting out great, back to what it should have been…. to bad rufus is gone and bobby isnt around… oh and where the hell is meg? I love the new meg, her and cass are hilarious. and I would like to see more of death the horseman, he puts such a good spin on everything. love his character

TNT is running Season 7 episodes (which will finish up tomorrow, March 21st) and I just can not make any sense at all of what the Leviathan master plan is. Here are all of the pieces which I don’t see fitting together (and I’m leaving Bobby out completely):

*Sioux Falls Hospital situation

*The Realtor and the plan to buy up property for a cancer center

*Turducken and that research center to pacify human beings

*The code that Bobby gave Sam & Dean that led them to a meaningless field (what was this about?)

*All of Dick Roman’s political and business ambitions

Any ONE of these might explain the Leviathans’ goal for all of their hard, evil work but together, they don’t add up to anything that makes sense. Could it be that show execs are really disorganized and didn’t plan out the season?

Is there any fan out there who can tie this all together for me? Thanks in advance!

I don’t care what they have to do to get each episode done, but w/o Dean and Sam it will not work!!! But we do have to respect both of their decisions to continue onto something different, pay them what they have to, to keep them acting for supernatural!!!!